If You'll Have Me
by Chelseadaggz
Summary: Emma is confusedly upset when Regina leaves the group upon them deciding to go save Neal, she doesn't understand why though until her magic subconsciously conjures Regina's image in a near-by lake...she's in love with the brunette but when a strange man appears to be helping also, and Regina looks to be quite pleased with his presence, is Emma too late? SwanQueen some OutlawQueen
1. Chapter 1

**This has been in my head ever since Regina left the Charming's to find Rumpel in Neverland but this is slightly different, instead of finding the imp she comes across Robin instead who has travelled, with Neal (who the Charming's are going to rescue), in order to find his own son who was taken by the shadow. **

**This is a one-shot but I have left it open for more if there is enough interest for me to carry on, I'm not sure yet as I do have the ideas but it's pointless me writing if it's okay as just a stand-alone piece, you guys decide :)**

**I do not own OUAT or any of it's characters (sadly), I have taken some chunks of script from the show (Echo Caves sequence) but everything else is my own.**

* * *

"Wait, where are you going?" Emma's voice held a slight tremble as she looked to Regina, not only had she found out that the man she had thought dead, the father of her missing child, the idiot she had already mourned for was in fact alive and in Neverland, it now looked suspiciously like the one person who was just as determined to get Henry back was leaving. It had nothing to do with the blonde's heart weighing down heavily in her chest now hoping that Regina wasn't going to leave her…nothing at all.

"I'm going to do what we came here to do," she had turned fully towards Emma now, the venom in her eyes at an all-time high, "I am going to find my son-"

"Our son" Emma corrected instantly, it was like a knee-jerk reaction now though she wasn't sure why it bothered her so much that the brunette addresses him as such.

"No!" was the instant reply, "no, while you are following that idiotic little child's attempts at distracting you, while you go like a little lovesick puppy searching for the man who not only abandoned you but put you in jail" she stopped to take in a heaving breath, her voice was echoing around the clearing in which they had set up camp for the night, "I am going to look for my son."

"You expect her to just take the chance that Pan's lying and Neal isn't really here?" Snow White asked incredulously, she had taken Emma's silence as offense and not the guilt that it really was, "what if he is Regina? What if he needs her? You expect her to just leave him here to rot?"

"Is that not what he did to her?!" Regina's response was instant, "is that not exactly the same as what he did to her?" she was extremely close to Snow now having crossed the distance in two long strides, Charming was antsy by his wife's side, his arms raised ready to pull them apart if their brawl from the ship should carry on however Regina turned to Emma now as she spoke in a much softer tone much to their surprise, "Emma, please don't do this…think about Henry, he is the only reason we are here, the only reason we are enduring all of this, don't jeopardise what we have for some idiot who, up until a couple of months ago, couldn't give a shit about where you were or what had happened to you…"

Not only had Regina sworn, something the blonde had never heard the woman do, but she had spoken about them having something…did she feel the same as what Emma did? No, she meant their relationship with Henry; she meant their joint custody of the boy…that was all.

"Let them go," her voice was almost a whisper now as she grew closer to Emma, their noses practically touching as she took the younger woman's hands in a pleading grip, "let them chase dead ends and distractions, come with me and let's find Henry. We don't need anyone else, you and me, we can do this, together we are strong enough to defeat whatever evil is thrown our way, and together we can save our son"

And there it was, 'our son'

"Emma, just because Neal may have made some bad decisions in his past," trust her former step daughter to take the route of compassion, this wasn't about compassion, this was about Henry, "but he came back for you, he saved you…he loves you"

Regina's eyes never left Emma's as she watched the cogs turning in the blonde's head, her grip tightened on lightly trembling hands as she heard the shaky breaths emitted from between parted lips. Her head began to shake as she could see the guilt creeping into green eyes, she could see the guilt and it was directed at her. "Regina, I'm sorry I…I have to"

Emma stepped out of the woman's hold, afraid that if she remained there she would never leave. She couldn't, in good conscience, just walk away knowing that there was a chance that Neal was here and he was in danger of dying…how could she take her son's father away from him?

Regina's face hardened instantly as she moved to walk away again, how could she have thought that Emma would listen to her, that Emma would go with her and together they could save their son…there was nothing between them and she had been a fool to even think it. She was alone, as always. "Well, I hope for our son's sake that you know what you are doing, try not to die Saviour."

And then she was gone…

* * *

"The tracks lead directly into that cave, this must be where Pan is keeping Neal" Emma's breath shook as she looked into the mouth of the structure before her yet saw only darkness. As soon as Regina had disappeared she had wanted to run after her, to take off with her and save Henry together like she had said…but she couldn't, she supposed it was the Charming in her but she couldn't possibly do to Neal what he did to her, she couldn't let him feel as she had.

David broke into her thoughts next as he surveyed the area, she was glad to have them with her, she knew nothing of anything even in the vicinity of this kind of thing. It was still all quite new and extremely strange to her. "If the cave is some sort of prison, why aren't there any guards posted to stop us?"

"Because this prison doesn't require guards," Emma hoped that his ominous tones were just a result of too much rum the night before but she highly doubted that…what had happened to her simple, but lonely, life as a bail bonds person? What had happened to her Saturday nights sat in front of her crappy television with a bland carton of Chinese food and terrible re-runs? Now she was trekking through Neverland searching for a way to defeat Peter Pan…Peter fucking Pan! "The Echo Cave…" the Echo Cave? Sure, why not.

"You know it?" no Snow, he's clearer just an excellent guesser, she smiled inwardly as she thought of how Regina would be reacting in this situation if she were here and knew it wasn't far from the sarcastic comments running through her own head.

Hook's back was to them but Emma could feel the fear radiating from beneath the leather of his jacket, did he ever wash that thing? "All too well," he turned slowly in contemplation to face them, "I've lost half my crew inside those rock walls. The only way to rescue someone from inside is to reveal a secret"

"A secret?" if Emma didn't know any better she'd think they were already in the Echo Cave with her mother parroting the pirate. "That's all?" was she looking at the same pale looking man stood before them? Clearly it was not that simple.

"The darkest secrets," see, told ya. "Echo Cave derives its name from an old saying 'The deeper the lie the more truth in its echo' The cave demands that you would reveal a truth to yourself, a secret that you would never admit to anyone"

She couldn't hold it in any longer, what sort of Disney shit was this?! "This is ridiculous"

"Don't kill the messenger love" no, but nothing was stopping her from killing the dickhead.

"Even if we spill our guts, how do we know Neal's still alive in there?" Regina's earlier thoughts of it being a trick were still rebounding around Emma's head.

"Because this is what Pan wants," was the shrugged reply, "he wants us to rescue him"

"Why?" came David's voice.

"So that we reveal our secrets," was this some kind of girl-scout sleepover where they would all braid hair and gossip over which boy they were crushing on? What the hell was this?! "He believes once we do, our secrets will destroy us"

* * *

She grunted as she pushed yet another branch from her way, her breaths were deep as she tried to keep the tears stinging her eyes from falling, she should be used to rejection by now, she should be used to the silence of loneliness yet she wasn't. Not from Emma, no, Emma had been different. They had worked together to find Henry, they had trusted one another, had become unified in their search yet she had thrown it all away for Neal.

Instead of the anger she thought she would have been feeling at this point, instead of the raging fire that always burned for that irritating blonde, she felt sorrow, she felt regret and she felt sadness. Pure unadulterated waves of sadness that was flowing through her in hacking sobs, she was lucky for the tree stump situated beneath her now as her legs gave out for without it she would have surely crumbled to the forest floor instead.

Her throat was tight with her tears and her head pounding but she couldn't stop it, she couldn't make them stop falling and at this point she wasn't sure if she wanted to. She needed to let it out for it had been kept inside of her for so long now, every forbidden thought of want or desire towards the mother of her son, every pang of hurt when her attentions had gone unnoticed. It poured out of her like a waterfall into a stream; dark locks were wrung between her fingers as she let her head fall into her hands. Her stomach was aching from the strain of crying, one hand moved to clutch at it as her sobs rang out through the forest, echoing from the bark of every tree and coming back at her just as loud.

"Why do you emit such sorrow my lady?" her head snapped up at the sound, she hadn't heard anyone approaching and was extremely surprised to see someone else here. He was certainly no lost boy; the light of the moon highlighted his rugged features as he stepped further into the clearing. He wore clothes that she hadn't seen for a very long time, they no doubt originated from her homeland but that didn't make sense, why was he here? A bow hung around his shoulders as well as a bag full of arrows, that was the only sign of weaponry she could see on show, a thick cloak hung around broad shoulders and from the angle of him she could see a hood was adorning it, though what he would need with a hood in such a tropical land she did not know.

Her mouth hung open as she attempted to bring herself back to the present and throw up her walls, it was enough that he had already caught her in a vulnerable moment, her eyes were slightly swollen and stung yet she was able to harden them as she stood on shaky legs. "Who are you and what business do you have here?" she was glad of the lack of tremble in her voice as she straightened her shoulders in an attempt at some sort of superiority to this strange man before her.

"Forgive me, my lady but I am new to this land…I have come in search of my boy brought here by some sort of dark apparition" he held a strong accent that was strangely attractive to her ears, wait…he was looking for his son?

"Where do you hail from?" she gave no names of respect as she did not know him, he was clearly more accustomed to strangers than she was.

"I hail from a different land to this, I originate from The Enchanted Forest" just as she had thought, watching him though she found him to show no signs of recognition of her, clearly he hadn't been around at the time of her reign otherwise he would surely know her.

"How did you come to this land?" her questions were relentless yet he never moved from his spot, if he tried to close the distance between them he knew he would scare her, she already seemed fragile enough yet if he moved away he would lose a chance at finding his son quicker, so he would remain and tell her what she needed to know.

"I have means and ways my lady, a portal to be precise…I travelled with another but he was captured, I would have gone after him but my priorities lie solely with my son" he watched her eyes brighten at this, a small smile of what he could only guess was awe was playing at her lovely features. "I will not ruin my chances at finding him no matter the circumstances"

He was here for the same reason as her, she could only guess his companion to be Neal but he had made the right choice, he had remembered his reasoning for coming here and had followed through with his actions. She couldn't help the flare of respect that fired within her. "May I ask your name good sir?"

He heard the term of respect and could only smile in response as he moved a little closer; she watched him closely yet stayed where she was. Her hands wringing at her sides but whether that was from nervousness with him being here or thoughts of her troubles beforehand, he did not know. He bowed his head slowly, his eyes on hers until he could no longer see her, "my name is Robin, my lady, Robin Hood."

She watched as he returned his gaze expectantly to her once more and held out her hand slowly in welcoming, "I am Regina, Sir Robin, Regina Mills" he took her hand and placed a soft kiss to the back of it causing her to gasp lightly and blush.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Lady Regina," he spoke as he let her hand go once more, "your clothing does not appear to be native to this land, may I ask where you hail from?" she stiffened at this but could not lie, she didn't know the man, she didn't owe him any pleasantries though she couldn't bring herself to reveal her past identity.

"I also hail from the Enchanted Forest but…circumstances led me to a different habitat in which I have lived for the past few years" it was vague yet specific enough to stop any prying from the man before her, looking into his eyes she couldn't help but feel the pull to tell him more, to alleviate some of his fears by letting him know he wasn't alone. "I also came here to find my son…"

"Did the apparition take him also?" his interest was piqued now.

She shook her head in the negative, "no, he was taken from me and brought by the same means that you came to be here, a portal. Others came with me but they have allowed themselves to become distracted" her tone was scornful now as she scowled at the thought of her travelling companions.

"So…you, you are alone in your search?" his tone was gentle, this may have been the cause of her anguish and if so he didn't want to seem insensitive to her pain, not when he had heard first-hand how raw it was.

As expected her eyes watered lightly as she thought of the blonde now searching for her idiot ex-love, then she heard the silent question beneath his spoken one…did he want to accompany her? Could they search together? She couldn't help the flutter in her stomach at the thought of travelling with him yet she couldn't put her finger on the feeling. "I am alone, yes…"

Her eyes were wide and hopeful as she watched him looking at the ground as if he would find the strength to ask her. Looking up once more he fell into her deep brown gaze and the words practically formed themselves, "would you allow me to accompany you Lady Regina?"

He was the equivalent of a school boy asking a girl on a first date and she couldn't help the small smile that graced her features. "I…wouldn't be opposed to some company Sir Robin"

* * *

The lump in Emma's throat was almost suffocating as they moved from the cave; Hook and Neal lingered far too closely behind her as Snow moved in a different direction with David following like a lost puppy. Her stomach was turning with unease as she took in what had happened in there, Hook had been right, Pan wanted them vulnerable, he wanted them broken and that was truly how she felt now.

"Emma…can I-"

"I just…I just need a minute okay?" she cut the pirate off before he could say anymore; sure they had kissed but being in love with her? That was the kind of crap she should expect from the fairy-tale existence she now led, perfect.

"Do you want me to-"

"I said I needed a minute Neal," she snapped at him now, the man she had just admitted to wishing he was dead, how could he even stand to be near her now? Then there was Snow, her mother, the same woman who had spouted out shit about loving her and never giving up hope that she would return to them but now that she was back? Oh, no she was too old, time to make another one that they won't have to stuff into a wardrobe and ship off to a childhood filled with neglect and abuse. Emma was clearly too far gone to be loved by a mother so why bother hey Snow?

"Regina…" she didn't know why the name fell from her lips, she couldn't understand what made her say it but as she neared the edge of the water she knew it felt right…she wanted Regina here, she wanted the brunette to storm up to her and tell her to stop being such a cry baby, who cared if precious Snow White wanted another baby? Who gave a flying fuck that Neal and Hook were both in love with her? Who really gave a shit if she was in love with Regi- wait, what?!

In love with Regina? "I can't be…" came another breathy statement. That was preposterous, it was absurd, it was…right…

Her head spun as she perched on the dry mud of the forest floor, her fingers trailing through the loose dirt as she breathed deep. The lake glistened in front of her as her mind ran over thoughts of the brunette, an image of Regina could be seen and Emma was surprised at how well she knew the woman's features, at how well she could conjure the image of the woman…until she realized, that really was Regina.

She hadn't noticed her hands palm down and glowing near the lakes edge, a thin layer of the water in contact with her skin, she was causing this. She smiled as she watched her pushing back branches though this time with far less annoyance than Emma had ever witnessed. The island light was lighting up her naturally tan skin beautifully and the blonde found she just simply couldn't look away.

Regina moved with such ease and there seemed to be a small smile playing at full lips, Emma found she was smiling herself simply from viewing the brunette's happiness. The woman climbed up onto something, most likely a fallen tree or something and Emma's hand all but stopped as a man came into view, Regina's hand in his as he helped her climb down from it. She expected the brunette to snatch her hand away as soon as she was on level ground but her stomach clenched as it lingered for a few more seconds as did their eyes on each other.

He must have said something because moments later Regina was laughing and…was she…blushing? Tears stung at Emma's eyes, who was this man? Why was Regina so at ease around him? Did she know him? Was he an old lover? All of those questions were rebounding through her mind painfully as bile rose into her throat. How was it fair that she had only just realized what she felt for the woman yet now there was a man in place of where she should be, a man bringing sounds out of Regina that Emma should be…was this her punishment for allowing the brunette to walk away, knowing that she was making the wrong choice in going on the search for Neal.

Looking at the glint in Regina's eyes, she realized something. Not only was she going to find this woman again and in turn find their son, she would fight for the chance to hear the laugh falling from Regina's mouth, to be the one who's hand she took for assistance and hesitated to let go, to be the first one brown eyes saw in the morning upon waking and the last before falling asleep at night. She wanted to be her everything and Emma would fight anyone for the chance to be…if Regina would have her.


	2. Chapter 2

**The response to this has been awesome so here you go :) I will continue on for as long as I know there are people enjoying it.**

* * *

"If it does not offend you my lady-"

"Regina" she had grown tired of her homelands form of address, it reminded her of her time as Queen, under Leopold's thumb and seen only as a possession rather than a human being.

He nodded not missing the way her eyes glazed over as her mind wandered elsewhere, "if it does not offend you, Regina" he revelled in her small smirk as he pushed yet another branch from her way as they walked, "I would like to hear more about you…"

Her brow furrowed in thought, how could she tell him anything without revealing her identity and therefore pushing him away? There was no way but the truth.

"Tell me Robin," she also dropped the formal title; it was only fair since she asked it of him and could tell it also made him uncomfortable, "what do you know of the Dark Queen who once ruled over the White Palace?"

The question took him off guard, "of what relevance is this to you Regina?"

"Does it matter?" she countered, his expression indecipherable as she looked between his eyes and the foliage before them.

He frowned for a moment in thought before looking to her once more; "to tell you of my knowledge of the Queen would mean to tell you of my own past" he spoke softly as she regarded him.

"Is that not fair if I am to share my own?" she gave a small smile in order to show no harm was meant by her statement, she found she enjoyed his company though whilst he was kind and held no judgement in his words, she couldn't help but yearn for them to be falling from a different mouth, from thin lips quirked upwards in a dry humour that rivalled her own.

"I suppose you are right Regina, which is only fair" he smiled in return before running a hand through his hair and inhaling deeply in preparation for his story.

"In our realm…our land, I am an outlaw, a leader…some call me a thief yet I do not believe relieving the rich of what they cannot miss in order to give to those who could never dream of such luxuries is something worth being proud of." He began, she could hear the need for her to believe his innocence and good nature and she was surprised to find that she did, "I rarely stayed in one area for too long, I was constantly moving with my band of merry men and carrying out my vision of what the world should be. One such day, I was given information about a castle filled with riches I had never even deemed possible, such wealth would have brought an end to the poverty in the entire kingdom and I itched to make that happen."

"Many of my men were reluctant, I was a hard man at the time, completely shut off from love and so could not understand when many opted to remain at the camp due to the danger of being taken from their loved ones as the inhabitant of the castle was a greatly revered sorceress throughout the land, I scoffed at their idiocy and took only those as foolish as I was at the time."

"I had no idea of the witches name or any interest in learning it for I was to get in and out of the castle undetected…or so I believed. It was a three day journey to the so called Forbidden Fortress," so immersed in his story that he didn't hear Regina's gasp, he had attempted storming Maleficent's castle…why could she not shake the feeling of familiarity? "Through pure dumb luck, we managed to find a way in, to me this was a sign that I was right, I was untouchable and was going to save the entire Kingdom. That was until I became sloppy when navigating the castle, two men accompanied me whilst I sent the others in different directions in order to find the riches we had come for."

"I always made sure to stick to the shadows, I may have been arrogant but even I knew the dangers of magic and so remained hidden. It wasn't long into my search when I heard the sound of someone approaching, the sharp clicks of heels told me it was a woman and I had expected the blonde sorceress I had been told so much about yet it wasn't her." He stopped suddenly and looked to the woman beside him pointedly ignoring his gaze, "instead I watched as a complete vision came walking through the corridor, her strides were full of the same practised arrogance I reserved when needing to keep my men in line, when needing to ensure their fear and respect in their leader remained…beautiful dark curls framed her exquisite features, her eyes dark and hardened to mask any emotion to the world, a sign of past pain, her deep red lips set in a hard scowl to portray a false sense of anger when inside the agony of living was burning through her," he slowly brought his hands to cup her face as his thumbs wiped away the tears of remembrance and fear rolling down her cheeks.

"When did you know?" she asked, her voice trembling as he pulled her closer to him.

He smiled gently as he moved to sit on the ground and pull her shaking form into his body, it was a bold move but he knew it was what needed to be done, he didn't know or question how he knew, he simply followed his instincts. "From the very beginning, can I ask why Regina?"

"Why what?" her hands gripped the linen of his shirt as she tried to stop her sobs but was unsuccessful, "Why did I kill those who did not deserve such a fate? Why did I cast the curse ripping those away from their happy endings?"

"No," he stopped her ramblings by placing a soothing hand on her back and running one throughout dark locks, "why did you save me?"

* * *

"_Your fate will be far nicer should you desist your cowardly hiding and show yourself," she had stopped right in front of where he was crouched within the shadows yet she did not look his way, she merely continued to look forward, disinterested. _

_He could not help but to be slightly entranced by the beauty before him, she oozed seduction and he was one for the women…but no, he couldn't forget why he was here, not for anything. "And should I chose to remain hidden my lady?" _

_She was almost amused at the gall of the man, not only was he defying her, he was telling her whilst he did it…his courage was certainly something to be admired, his foolishness however, was not. _

_Her hand shot out faster than his eyes could follow yet he didn't need to see it to know what she was doing, he felt it. All of the air was pushed from his lungs as he was pushed upwards and against the wall as she stalked closer, her scent filling his senses even though he had yet to take a breath. Her lips were curled in a snarl as she came far too close than was necessary. _

"_I do not suffer fools gladly thief," his eyes flashed at the name, "denial gets you nowhere dear sir, you are here to take that which belongs to another, what you do with it means nothing, how you procure it however," her lips brushed against his as she brought him to her level, the toes of his boots brushing along the floor, "means everything." _

_He was surprised when she let him go and fought to remain upright as she moved backwards once more with dark eyes still regarding him. "It is intent that means most my lady," he had seen the emblem of her necklace, she was the Dark Queen, ruler of the White Palace and extremely dangerous yet he couldn't help but goad her and if he weren't mistaken, he was sure he could see a hint of something other than coldness within her eyes, a warmth he was sure wasn't there before. _

"_Believe me my dear," she drawled as she looked over his strong frame now that he was in the light, "intent means nothing." _

"_You will heal my lady," her eyes snapped up at this and he feared he had gone too far yet his traitorous lips wouldn't take the hint, "whoever has wronged you, whatever heartache you have endured…you will heal, even the most broken of souls can learn" _

_To his surprise she said nothing, her eyes were dropped from his face and he assumed she had fallen into her dark mind until she stepped forward and grabbed at his arm none too gently. He held back a hiss of pain as her grip tightened when she pulled down his sleeve. He studied her face, her tensed jaw loosening as her full lips parted slightly, what must they taste like? Her dark eyes widening not in anger but pure unadulterated fear as she caught his eye once more, he remained frozen in place never wanting to lose the feeling of her touch on his skin, her scent in his nostrils and her hot breath dancing across his flesh. Before he could even think of leaning in, she spoke her voice low and forcibly held steady as she backed away from him. _

"_You must go" _

"_But, my lady I-" _

"_GO!" she bellowed looking at him once more, he gasped at the emotions there, desperation, anger, fear, concern…for him? "Leave this castle and do not be so foolish as to return for next time you may not be as fortunate in escaping death" _

"_I cannot leave my-"he was cut off once more when she waved her hand in the air. _

"_They are gone, now leave!" if he hadn't turned around once more he wouldn't have caught the glistening tear rolling down a smooth cheek or the hand curled into the fabric of the dress covering a slim waist…but he did._

* * *

And here she was, the once feared ruler of his Kingdom sat shaking in his arms as she recalled that day, "Why did you save me Regina?"

"How could I not?" she whimpered as she turned in his arms to reveal the lion tattoo adorning his skin, the very same one she had run from so long ago, the possibility that could have been should she have been brave enough to face it.

* * *

"We need to find him," Neal spoke as they made their way through the foliage, Emma's eyes trained on the map before her but she listened to his every word, "he got away when they came for me but…he has a son here too, he needs help"

She knew that he must be the same man Regina was now travelling with, it was too much of a coincidence to be somebody else, "so who is he?" she tried to keep her voice light and a quick glance around at the indifferent faces of the group told her she had managed for the most part.

"You're gonna laugh when I tell you but…his name is Robin"

"Wait…as in Robin Hood?" Neal laughed as he watched the incredulous expression on her face, "as in steal from the rich to give to the poor, cartoon fox Robin Hood?!" he laughed and smiled again, "Jesus Christ can this get any weirder?!"

She still found it hard to believe that all of this was real, that her parents were the freaking Charmings, her ex was Rumplestiltskin's son, the woman who had raised her child was Snow White's evil stepmother, though without the vanity complex cause let's face it. There was no question that Regina was certainly more beautiful, Snow had pretty, angelic, innocent looking features whereas Regina was…well, she was stunning, pure sex and seduction yet she could still appear innocent at times, Emma had seen the vulnerability and had her breath stolen by one of the rare genuine smiles that came from such a troubled woman.

"We need to find my Dad too…before he finds Henry" Neal's voice was ominous now and the blonde instantly stopped walking to look at him.

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion before speaking, "why would him finding Henry be so bad?"

"There was a prophecy my father was told many years ago," of course there was, "telling of a child who would be his undoing…he thinks that means Henry."

"So what? He's gonna kill his own Grandson because of some fucking words spoken to him a million years ago?!" Emma practically screamed.

Neal nodded slowly, shame evident on his face, "pretty much. I tried to stop him with mermaid's ink before I was captured but it would have worn off by now…he said he wanted to help Henry and that he would sacrifice himself if needs be but…I just don't know"

"Well fucking great. We have a missing, possibly psychotic Dark One to find and a former Evil Queen off frolicking with a cartoon fox"

"How do you know they're together?" it was her mother who spoke now as they continued on, she was glad to be in front so that the blush creeping over her skin was invisible to those following.

"I…I don't I just have a feeling…that's all" she replied, stumbling over her words. She knew she wasn't very convincing but luckily her mother chose to drop the subject as they neared a clearing.

Emma squinted her eyes as she looked through, throwing her arm out to stop the others when she could make out the shape of two others. "There he is!" she whispered furiously, "and is that…Belle?"

"No." Neal whispered back as he looked, he knew the dangers of the island well enough, "this is what Pan does, he conjures the image of that which you love most to distract you long enough"

"Long enough for what?" Charming asked as he watched the scene before him, it appeared that 'Belle' was asking Rumpel to leave the island with her.

"I think he wants him gone from Neverland, after all, he is probably the most powerful here" came Neal's reply.

They were faced with a choice now, "well do we let him go? It would save us the trouble of barbequing his ass for wanting to kill Henry!" Emma seethed as she looked at the imp.

"But we don't know what Pan will do with him," came Snow's reply, ever the considerate one, "I can't see him having anything other than malicious intent, besides, if we save him then he owes us."

"That doesn't change the fact that he wanted to do it in the first place," she reasoned but with an edge of frustration.

"And your reasoning for trusting Regina after everything she has done is what Emma?" Snow looked at her now knowing she had hit the nail on the head, "You can put everything that Regina has done and wanted to do behind her and give her the benefit of the doubt, how does anything that Rumpel has done differed?"

"Because he's a sneaky bastard"

"And she's an evil bitch."

Emma spun around so fast that none had even seen the movement, her eyes were sharp as they locked onto Snow's, "you take that back."

"No."

"You know the boy we are here to save? My son? Well that's why she is here too, that is why she left us because while we were wasting time on some fool's errand, she left to do the one thing that she has been focused on since we arrived. Not some stupid personal grudges and gratifications but Henry." Emma's words were coming out faster than she could think of them now, her own guilt coming into play, "she is the only one here not thinking about herself, not thinking about her partner, taking a potential lover or returning home to one. All she has thought about is Henry and that is why I trust her because she is the only one who wants him home as much as I do and maybe even more so."

All were quiet now, what could they say to that? It was true, they had lost sight of why they had come and that had resulted in them focusing on their own personal gain, their own insecurities and hearts…it was wrong but it had happened, they could only move forward now.

"So what's the plan?" Hook asked as he looked forward once more at his sworn enemy, "what do we do?"

* * *

They hadn't really spoken since he had told his story, tear tracks still marked her cheeks but the sniffling had stopped. Her expression was unreadable as they continued to move forward. He was about to speak when her hand came to rest against his chest as she concentrated on something in the distance. Following her eye line he could see two figures in a clearing up ahead.

"What is that idiot doing now?" she breathed in frustration, clearly she knew the man…

"Is that the Dark One?!" he whispered incredulously, "you know him?"

"Are you really surprised given my past?" he shook his head apologetically and she smiled softly to show no harm done, "I need you to stay hidden whilst I do something…"

"No, I-"

"Robin please, I need to do this without worrying whether or not you are okay" she wouldn't look at him, wouldn't show him that she had come to care for him already though not in the way she would have expected…it felt more familial than romantic…maybe that would come to change in time.

He nodded slowly watching as she moved but caught her wrist quickly, his hand moving up to stroke back a lock of hair as he looked at her, "just be careful Regina…"

She smiled in agreement and moved forward.

* * *

"Wait" Emma called just as they were about to move, "is that…Regina?" they all watched as 'Belle' began choking before Rumpel and the brunette moved into the clearing. They couldn't hear what was being said but clearly the brunette had some sort of hold over his fake love and Rumpel sure wasn't happy about it.

'Belle' began falling to the ground as Rumple's distress was clear, Regina was not letting go and with a swipe of her hand, all became clear. Gone was the familiar blue dress and curled hair, out from the ground rose the shadow. They waited with baited breath and raised weapons to see whether or not the thing would attack but instead it simply looked at them for a lingering moment and flew off.

"I'd say that's 1 point to nothing Regina Mills" the brunette started when she heard Emma's voice echoing around the area as she stepped into view. Her grin faltered however when she saw how Regina's eyes glazed over staring at her unseeingly until the woman began to fall towards the ground. Before she could even shout her name in panic, a pair of strong arms had surged around her and caught the brunette before she hit the floor.

She stared open mouthed as the man, now assumed to be Robin, pulled Regina onto his lap and began stroking her face soothingly whilst calling her name softly, which, in the blonde's eyes, was Emma's job!

He took no notice of those standing around and staring; he looked up to the imp and asked with concern lacing his voice, "what happened? Is she going to be okay?"

Rumple slowly kneeled next to them and placed a hand over her head, a purple glow was emitted that seemed to seep into the brunette's skin, "the shadow is not merely an apparition, it is a powerful being full of strong magic in order to keep it sustained – it took a lot for her to reveal its illusions but she will be fine"

As if to emphasise his point, a soft whimper came from the woman in Robin's arms as she slowly came to, the first word from her lips however had everyone freezing in shock and only one fighting to supress a beaming smile.

"Emma…"


End file.
